Isolated vocal tracks are often a form of musical death. They are not the same as simple a cappella renditions, because they are meant to be encased within the instrumental accompaniment. When you take that away, you often get something heavy, weirdly atonal, deeply unpleasant. It’s often terrible, even with otherwise very good songs.
Of course, there are exceptions, and not surprisingly The Beatles are just such a case. Here is the Abbey Road medley (my pick for the high point of their entire career), with all the accompaniment stripped away. It’s just the harmonies. And oh my god how beautiful they are.
It’s worth listening the whole way through, because the highlight is probably Golden Slumbers and Carry That Weight. Golden Slumbers in particularly is just an amazing vocal performance from Paul.
Hat tip to Open Culture for this.
I loved this one: http://www.openculture.com/2013/06/listen_to_freddie_mercury_and_david_bowie_on_the_isolated_vocal_track_for_the_queen_hit_under_pressure_1981.html
Such gorgeous voices.